Ali Rida al-Rikabi (; 1864 25 May 1943) was the Prime Minister in modern

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and was also the 3rd Prime Minister of

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

Summary

During the last phase of Ottoman rule in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, al-Rikabi occupied prominent positions. After the Ottoman Turks departed from Arab lands in 1918, he formed the first cabinet in the history of Syria under Prince Faisal, third son Sharif Hussain of Mecca. Later, during two periods (1922 and 1924–1926) as prime minister in Jordan, al-Rikabi established Jordan's administrative and financial system. He supported the Syrian revolt of 1925 against the French Mandate while he was Prime Minister of Jordan.

During Ottoman rule

Ali Rida al-Rikabi came from a Damascene family whose ancestor had migrated from Rifa’i in southern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

during the seventeenth century. Al-Rikabi obtained his primary education at the Rushdiya Military School and completed Secondary school in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

also. His extraordinary performance at school earned him recommendations to be sent to the Military College in

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, where he studied military engineering and graduated as the youngest in his class with the rank of Staff Major. He was later appointed military commander of the Ottoman army and deputy governor in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. When the Ottoman Constitution was proclaimed in 1908 he was appointed Head of Special Branch in Istanbul. From there he was transferred to al-Medina al-Munawara where he was appointed Governor and Military Commander after being promoted to the rank of Major General. He then went on to Iraq as Military Commander in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

and Governor of

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

. On the eve of the First World the Ottoman Government consulted him, among other army commanders, about his opinion of Turkey's participation in the war along the side of its German ally. Al-Rikabi advised the Ottoman Government to remain neutral in this European conflict because he was well aware of the poor condition of the Ottoman Army, its outdated weapons, insufficient ammunition and weak training. Other officers and members of the Young Turks were enthusiastic in their drive to enter the war on the side of

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, their friend and ally. When al-Rikabi returned to Damascus after his dismissal, Jamal Pasha appointed him Mayor of Damascus and Chief of Defences in order to utilise his knowledge and experience, while keeping him under close surveillance. Al-Rikabi preferred to accept these two positions to ward off suspicions, as he was in fact one of the founders of the first two secret organisations that planted the seeds of Arab Nationalism under Ottoman rule, namely The Young Arab Society and The Covenant Society.

Arab Kingdom

After the

Arab Revolt The Arab Revolt ( ), also known as the Great Arab Revolt ( ), was an armed uprising by the Hashemite-led Arabs of the Hejaz against the Ottoman Empire amidst the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On the basis of the McMahon–Hussein Co ...

(1916) and the Ottoman defeat by the British army, the allies entered Damascus on 1 October 1918 with King Faisal, and the Arab kingdom of Syria created at Damascus. On 3 October 1918 Ali Rida al-Rikabi was appointed Military Governor of Arab Kingdom of Syria, and Chief of the Council of Directors (i.e. prime minister) of Syria under Prince Faisal son of King Hussain of

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

First Syrian Cabinet

On 8 March 1920 the First Syrian Conference (representative body) announced Syria's independence and proclaimed Faisal as King. Al-Rikabi became the first Prime Minister of Syria. From a base in Lebanon, the French Army under General Gouraud attacked the small Syrian volunteer force assembled in Maysaloon, defeated them, entered Damascus, proclaimed the French Mandate over Syria and Lebanon and forced King Faisal to leave Syria immediately.

Rikabi in Jordan

When Rikabi felt he could no longer participate in Syrian politics under the French Mandate, he travelled from Damascus to

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, where he left his family and went on to Mecca to meet King Hussain of Hejaz. The latter directed him to proceed to Jordan and assist his second son, Prince Abdullah, in the administration of the Principality of Transjordan, newly formed under the British Mandate. In

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

, Prince Abdullah commissioned Rida Rikabi to form his first Jordanian cabinet in March 1922. So, he took up the task of setting suitable laws and regulations for the new State, particularly in administration and financial management. In October of that year he accompanied Prince Abdullah to London for conducting a treaty between Britain and Jordan and discussions of Arab Affairs thereat. After Prince Abdullah left, Rikabi remained in

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to reach an agreement with the British authorities on the formulation of the Government of Transjordan. Rikabi succeeded in obtaining Britain's approval for parliamentary independence of the State, and in excluding Jordan from the Balfour Declaration (by which Britain promised to establish a Jewish state in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

). After Rikabi returned to Jordan, Prince Abdullah objected to some terms of this agreement prompting Rikabi to resign. In early 1924, Prince Abdullah invited Ali Rida al-Rikabi to form a new Jordanian cabinet, this time on the advice of King Faisal of Iraq, Abdullah's younger brother who had ruled briefly in Syria. Rikabi declared his cabinet's program for promoting justice among all citizens, economic reform, employing competent civil servants, eradicating corruption and ensuring security. Whilst such a program may seem rudimentary nowadays, it was a novelty when new Arab states were being established in the aftermath of four centuries under Ottoman oppression that only ended after First World War. During Rikabi's second term as Prime Minister of Jordan, he secretly supported the Syrian Revolt against French rule. This was strongly backed by King Faisal of Iraq, overruling his elder brother Prince Abdullah on matters concerning the policies of his Prime Minister Rikabi, who set tactical plans for the Syrian Revolt, received Syrian casualties in Jordan and channelled Iraqi assistance to Syrian fighters. After the Syrian Revolt was crushed by the French Rikabi resigned from the prime ministership of Jordan because it became once more impossible for him to work with Prince Abdullah.

Final years

When Rikabi left Jordan in 1926 he lived as a private citizen for a few years in Jerusalem and

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

because the French banned him from entry to Syria for a few years before he could return to Damascus. In 1932 he coordinated efforts with King Faisal of Iraq, established the Royal Party and ran for President of Syria. The French heavily supported his rival and Rikabi lost the elections. He spent the last ten years of his life in seclusion at home, under constant harassment from the French and their agents. His health soon began failing and he died in May 1943.

References

External links

Prime Ministry of Syria websitePrime Ministry of Jordan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rikabi, Rida Pasha 1864 births 1943 deaths Politicians from Damascus Prime ministers of Syria Prime ministers of Jordan Interior ministers of Jordan People from the Ottoman Empire